The Advisory Board welcomes Ronie Kendig today to INSPYs.com. Ronie is a Christy award winning author, best known for her “Rapid-Fire” fiction (military suspense novels), this year wandered into Speculative fiction with her recent release, Embers. This year, she’s nominated in two categories. Her novels, Falcon (Shiloh Run Press) is a finalist in the 2016 shortlist in the Mystery/Thriller category and Embers (Enclave) is shortlisted in the Speculative Fiction category.

Today we talk with Ronie about the challenge of switching genres, her TV addictions plus more!

EMBERSHe’s coming for them. And the kingdom.

Haegan and Kaelyria Celahar are royal heirs of the Nine Kingdoms, but Haegan is physically crippled. What chance does he have against Poired Dyrth, the greatest enemy the kingdom has ever faced, who wields fire with a power none can match?

Their only hope is forbidden: Kaelyria must transfer her fire-harnessing abilities to Haegan. When she does it comes with a terrible price: Haegan’s disability is healed, but only by being transferred to Kaelyria. This decision causes their father, King Zireli, to unleash his wrath against Haegan.

Haegan flees the kingdom alone with two impossible tasks: Find a cure for Kaelyria and stop the coming war with the omnipotent Poired Dyrth. – Goodreads

FALCONSpecial Forces operator Salvatore “Falcon” Russo vowed to never again speak to or trust Lieutenant Cassandra Walker after a tragedy four years ago. But as Raptor closes in on the cyber terrorists responsible for killing two of their own, Sal must put his life—and the lives of his teammates—in her hands. Despite his anger, Cassie is ill-prepared for his resistance and the fallout when she must protect the one asset who can end the attacks. As allies become enemies and hostiles become unlikely partners, Raptor fights for its very existence. – Goodreads

INTERVIEW WITH RONIE KENDIG

INSPYs:What inspired Embers and/or Falcon?

Embers was a classic “what if” inspiration while watching the BBC’s Merlin. There was a character that so aggravated me with her deception and treachery, I thought to myself, “But what if she really was making this sacrifice for her brother and the realm?” And that birthed the opening scenes of Embers.

Some elements of Falcon were inspired by a true story of a professional athlete who recruited his best friend into the same field. Then one tragic night, the athlete was driving drunk and killed the friend he’d recruited. And I could not escape thinking about the intense grief and trauma that athlete would live with for the rest of his life, and that birthed the backstory for Falcon.

INSPYs:What are some of the benefits/challenges of switching genres?

In all honesty, it’s not really a switch in that I’m writing both genres, but the hardest aspect of writing in two genres is that in the speculative genre, I’m starting all over in terms of audience and market. With suspense, my market and name are established. Not so within the speculative market, so that’s the biggest challenge. However, it’s also a benefit, because my loyal readers are willing to brave a new genre, simply because I wrote it. That’s a level of trust I don’t take lightly.

JUST FOR FUN QUESTIONS

+ What are you listening to? Capital Kings’ newest album, II.

Photo: NBC

+ What are you watching? On most any day, I’m watching an episode or two (or ten) of Doctor Who… or Blindspot.

+ What are you reading or what’s on your nightstand? I’m a mood reader, so I generally have a handful of books at various stages of being read. Right now, that includes: Billy Coffey’s There Will Be Stars, Steve Berry’s The 14th Colony, and Marissa Meyers’ Stars Above.

Thanks so much for joining us today, Ronie! It was a pleasure to talk with you, and learn more about the challenges of a genre change and learn about your TV addictions. (Editors note: Blindspot is seriously, amazing if you like mystery shows.)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ronie Kendig is an award-winning, bestselling author who grew up an Army brat. She married her own hunky hero, who’s an Army veteran. After twenty-plus years of marriage, she and her husband have a full life with four children and two dogs. Ronie’s degree in psychology has helped her pen novels of raw, broken characters. Since launching onto the publishing scene, Ronie’s Rapid-Fire Fiction has hit the CBA Bestseller List, won the prestigious Christy Award, finaled in numerous contests and reader awards, including ACFW Carol Awards, RWA’s Faith, Hope, & Love’s Inspirational Readers’ Choice Awards, Christian Retailing’s Readers’ Choice Awards, INSPY Award, The Christian Manifesto Lime Awards, and FamilyFiction’s Readers’ Choice Choice Awards. Ronie loves people and helping other writers through speaking, workshops, and/or mentoring.

Our shortlist INSPY interviews continue with Christy and Carol award finalist, Morgan L. Busse. Her novel, Heir of Hope (Enclave Publishing) made the final of our 2016 shortlist in the Speculative Fiction category.

We chat with Morgan about what inspired Heir of Hope, her latest box office movie (Editor’s Note: I totally understand the Marvel fangirl feels), plus she gives us a sneek peek into what’s next!

The great city of Thyra has fallen and shadows spread across the land. Rowen Mar, the last Truthsayer, is taken before the Shadonae. But the Shadonae are not who she thought they were, and now they want to claim her as their own. Caleb Tala, former assassin and prince, is now a Guardian of mankind. Exiled from his country, Caleb wanders the desert in search of his mother’s past and clues to who he is. These are the last days of the Eldaran race. Rowen and Caleb must find their way along the dark path set before them by their ancestors: to heal what was wounded and love where hatred grows. But the road is narrow and the darkness beckons. If either of them fails, all will be lost… And the human race will be no more. Book three of the Follower of the Word series. – Goodreads | Amazon

INSPYs: What inspired Heir of Hope?

The Follower of the Word series is an epic fantasy series that follows Rowen, a young woman who has the ability when she touches someone to see inside their soul. In other words, she can see what God sees inside of us. Not only that, but she reflects back what she sees to the person she is touching. Learning why she has this ability and that she needs God’s help to use it is ultimately what this series is about. That without God, her power would overwhelm her.

When I first began writing Daughter of Light, the first book, I knew the story would eventually go to a dark place where everything Rowen believed in would be tested beyond her abilities, and that the only way she would survive was by completely trusting in the Word. Those final dark moments came in Heir of Hope.

Why did I write Heir of Hope as a dark story? Because I’ve experienced some very dark times in my own life. Following God does not mean life will be all daisies and rainbows. Sometimes it means walking through valleys filled with shadows of death. Sometimes it means wondering where God is in the midst of pain and tears.

When I wrote Heir of Hope, I drew upon my own experiences: two cancer scares, almost losing my son, when my husband lost his job, when we lost our house, when we couldn’t pay the bills, and when we were betrayed by people we loved. It was during those dark, painful times that I found God was right there beside me. I was never alone.

That was what I wanted to convey in Heir of Hope. There is hope in the midst of suffering. There is light in the darkest times. God is always there with us, even when we can’t see Him.

I’ve been asked what is my favorite novel I’ve written. My answer is Heir of Hope. It was the hardest yet most satisfying book I’ve written. When I wrote the conclusion to the Follower of the Word series, I wrote my heart and soul into that story.

(If you want to check out the Follower of the Word series, Daughter of Light is currently free on kindle.)

INSPYs: Can you give us a peek into what’s coming next?

I am now working on a Victorian steampunk series that is a loose retelling of Frankenstein. Steampunk is a sub-genre that usually takes place in either the Wild West or Victorian era, but with a fantasy/science fiction twist and advance technology run by steam.

Tainted (the first book in my series) follows Kat Bloodmayne, one of the first women chosen to attend the Tower Academy of Sciences. However, she has a secret: when she loses control of her emotions, she unleashes the power to control matter. But every time she does this, it destroys a part of her soul. So she is searching for a cure before her soul dies and she becomes something else entirely.

Tainted is now available in paperback and ebook.

JUST FOR FUN QUESTIONS

What are you listening to? Typically when I am writing, I listen to soundtracks or gentle background music such as The Piano Guys. Currently I am listening to the soundtrack for Morrowind, a fantasy game. It helps set the mood for the story I’m writing.

What are you watching? I just saw the new Marvel movie, Captain America: Civil War. Excellent story telling, excellent character development. Half of me was watching as a super heroes fan and the other half as a writer and both sides absolutely loved Marvel’s latest movie! Lots of feels!

What are you reading or what’s on your nightstand? When I have a moment between writing, family, and church, I am making my way through Melanie Dickerson’s fairytale retellings (as you can see on my iPad on my nightstand). Currently I am on The Fairest Beauty. It’s taken me a while to get through it since I only have snatches of reading time here and there, but I’m really enjoying it when I get to read. I love Melanie’s stories and recommend it for anyone who enjoys fairytales!

Thank you so much for joining our author interview series, Morgan. It was a pleasure to chat with you, and learn about what’s next.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I am a wife, mother, and author. I write Christian fantasy and steampunk for the adult market. My work is published with Enclave Publishing, the premier publishing company for Christian fantasy and science fiction.

Recognizing the need for a new kind of book award, the INSPYs were created by bloggers to discover and highlight the very best in literature that grapples with expressions of the Christian faith. Contact us at inspyawards@gmail.com Read More…